You love to Flying Because......?

[Smoking Man]

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, that book answers the question for me.

 

[dispatchguy]

Let's see why I love to fly (or jumpseat since I'm diabetic)

Breaking out of an overcast layer over Chicago at night, on a downwind for the 27s - nothing like Chicago all lit up at nite.

Sunrise over the North Atlantic, jumpseating on a UAL B777 ORDCDG a few years back.

The view today over Pueblo colorado on our way to ALS then PHX, all the snow-capped mountains as far as the eye could see.

Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the flight deck of a P3 Orion over Southern Greenland on my way back to NAS Keflavik Iceland back in 1990 - a sight I'll NEVER forget.

The red rocks of Sedona from the SILOW dep out of PHX - looked like mars.

Well, back to work.....

 

[nosewheel]

The Glamour, The Glory, The Bankruptcy's, The Furlough's, The Cheap hotel rooms,The FAA, Human resource drug and alcohol Dept,Screw Scheduling Dept,The Chief Pilot's Orifice, MX, Late hotel shuttle pick up and arriving at the hotel just as the Bar closes,Catering dosn't show in time for your 12 hr. hop across the pond in a freighter after only eating the Hotel Rat food for breakfast, Jumpseating home from MIA or PSM to SEA after being up for 26 hours and getting bumped half way by a fed. Filling out NASA reports. Seriously.. the Best Time is when we are starting engines and pushing back then blocking in at the other end. All the other stuff sucks but goes with the job. OK..The Chicks too, This and more ... All for the LOVE of FLYING!!

 

[Traumahawk]

For being so hard to put into words, you guys aren't doing too bad a job!


Base to Final........'can really put things into perspective sometimes.

T-hawk

 

[FlyDeltasJets]

Did you guys mention that chicks dig it?

 

[tarp]

Flying, Skiing, golf, 10K runner.

I look at my hobbies and now my profession over time and see a common thread. A total type "A" junkie, I am drawn to pursuits that require me to improve over the very best I have to offer.

When I ran races, it was always faster.

When I play golf, I'm still looking for that round of 18 but alas I keep scoring in the seventies and eighties.

When I ski, there's always that one corner I could've cut better, that crud that almost got me and that total yard sale I left back on Suicide Hill.

Those mountains and vistas while I'm skiing, the lush green and beautiful parkland I golf through, even some of the 10K's were on very interesting paths.

And then there's flying. Above it all. Perfection is demanded and then we try to do better. The views spectacular. The pursuit of happiness in the most pure form. I have no cure for this addiction as probably most on this board feel. I would probably give up food and water before I gave up flying completely. (But I will add this - flying an RJ around for a regional is the equivalent of being a caddie or being a ski instructor - you fly, but man they do make it hard work.) If you force me to give up food and water to fly, I'll be flying a Citabria or Extra 300 - it sure ain't gonna be hauling people or boxes.

Merry Christmas!

 

[Rook]

I actually miss seeing when a student finally 'gets it' and the first hurdle of the first solo is done. I really miss teaching Multi and CFI stuff.

I also remember a friend I had when I was a CFI who worked the ramp for ASA. He'd sneak us into a CRJ after hours and light the cockpit up and we'd ooh and ahh and drool. And I remember saying to myself that I'd fly that plane one day.

Isn't it funny that we spend all the time trying to be around the airport constantly and then once we get there and finish our trips we cant wait to get the hell out of the airport?

Happy Holidays friends

Rook

600' AGL Autopilot on.
'WHEW!'

 

[TXCAP4228]

The first time I broke out on top in the daytime after taking off under an ugly gray overcast and saw a clear blue sky.

The first time I broke out on top at night and saw the stars without being washed out by lights on the ground.

The first time I broke out for real on an ILS and saw runway lights in front of me.

Watching a line of thunderstorms 100 miles away at night, all lit up by lightning.

The solitude.

The responsibility.

And chicks.

 

[Vardog]

Awesome Answers!!

I have not experienced (YET) the things that many of you are talking about, and I am sure my wife hopes that I don't experience them all! The ones that I have experienced, the first solo, and occasional greaser, busting through an overcast layer feeling like the sun is up there only for you, are all incredible.
I used to take a camera with me whenever I was in the air but I never take pictures anymore - they like the discriptions that have been written here, are good but they don't really do justice to this art and science that we all love so much.


I really have enjoyed reading what all of you have written -- MANY THANKS!!

Vardog